Wray Morrison: Attack on a sack

The NFL is getting it wrong.

In three straight games against Chicago, Minnesota and as of last Sunday, Washington, Packers linebacker Clay Matthews has been flagged for hits on quarterbacks.

The Packers, and even some members of Washington’s football team, were confused at what Matthews was supposed to do after the third quarter tackle of Alex Smith.

Matthews put his head to side, wrapped Smith up, made contact with the front of the quarterback and took him to the ground.

I know that players aren’t allowed to put all of their weight on a quarterback when taking him down, but if a defender is going to wrap up a player to make a tackle, that defensive player is going to land on an offensive player from time to time. There is no other alternative.

Player safety is, and should be, a huge priority in professional football. However, the NFL has to leave defensive players options to stop the opposition.